


Not a man

by serenitysolstice



Category: Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Banned together bingo prompt, F/F, Patriarchy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitysolstice/pseuds/serenitysolstice
Summary: Glinda and Elphaba have a conversation about not being men, and what that shouldn't mean.
Relationships: Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28
Collections: Banned Banned Together Bingo 2020, Banned Together Bingo 2020





	Not a man

"Because I'm not a man, Elphie!" She exclaimed, then immediately winced. It was the underlying force behind all of their arguments, sure, but she'd never actually said the words aloud before. But there it was.

Glinda wasn't a man.

"I've never understood why you'd let a simple thing like sex stop you from getting what you wanted." Her roommate replied drily. "You certainly don't let anything else."

"It's different." And it was. Surely Elphaba understood. There were dozens of shelves in the library that she couldn't access because she wasn't a man. The reason she was expected to take over as Eminent Thropp was because she wasn't a man. And, though the thought made her feel physically sick, the reason Glinda didn't let their hands brush in the hallways of Shiz was because she wasn't a man.

"Well I think you should go." Elphaba muttured, rolling her eyes. "I would." Galinda scoffed.

"Well of course you would. You've never been beholden to the rules and regulations of society."

"That's not true." She replied. "It's just easier to ignore them when I've no stakes in the matter. Which is, I suppose, your problem."

"It is." She agreed. She leaned back against her headboard, still clutching the seminar flier in one hand. "Oh, but it would be so wonderful! Do you know he was responsible for finally rebuilding the west wing of the Emerald City out of stone? He's the reason they've had no problems with fire in nearly a decade!"

"They haven't always been?"

"Oh no, see that quadrent has always housed the...more unfortunate citizens of the city, and fights and parties and explosives were common. So were fires, particularly since it would just be rebuilt with wood every time, because if the residents were going to blow things up again, why waste expensive building materials on them - don't look at me like that, Elphie, you know I don't agree with it - but he thought that the extra expense was worth saving lives and preventing the damages."

"And I suppose it was easier to stomach coming from a well-to-do male, gillikin architect." Glinda rolled her eyes.

"You can't be that cynical forever Elphie, you'll get an ulcer. Yes, if you must know. The proposal was a resounding success." Elphaba was quiet for a long moment. Glinda fiddled with the paper in one hand. She felt nervous, which was silly. She could never say too much with Elphie, she always cared what Glinda had to say. 

"I suppose, if it would make your...position easier, I would be happy to accompany you to this man's seminar." Glinda blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. 

"Really? You don't have to, it's not a big deal, and I can always find the notes from -"

"You should be there." She stated firmly. Then, in a quieter voice, and with a sheepish smile stretched over thin lips. "And perhaps I should as well. It seems...unwise to write off everything this man has to say, purely because he's a man."

"At the very least, you should know your enemy." Glinda grinned. Then her face fell. "People are going to wonder at us going, and going together. It'll draw attention." She was going to look like one of the too-educated women her popsicle was always complaining about. Elphaba shrugged.

"I can't do anything more about your sex than I can mine. At some point, you're going to have to stop denying yourself things because you're a woman. You aren't less than a man. Why should you behave like you are."

The thought chewed on Glinda. She knew Elphaba was right. There was no reason why she should live any differently now than she would if she were a man. If she wanted to go to a seminar held by her favourite architect, she would. If she wanted to ask questions, and contribute points to the seminar, she'd do that too. And if she wanted to hold Elphaba's hand the whole time she was there, she' dare anyone to try and stop her. 


End file.
